You may have grown up listening to stories about your great aunt who swears she was a Nordic fisherman in a past life or cursed an ex-boyfriend to come back as a dung beetle. Whether or not you believe in reincarnation, chances are you’ve heard of it. Did you know that reincarnation is a tenet of many of the world’s largest and oldest religions? There are thousands of documented cases of reincarnation – that is, people who can recall events from a past life or lives. Reincarnation is a fascinating take on the notion of life after death. If you’ve ever been curious to learn more about this ancient belief, here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about reincarnation.

What is reincarnation?Reincarnation is a cycle of rebirth after death. According to the theory of reincarnation, a person’s soul is immortal; once an earthly body dies, the soul moves on to another body and continues the cycle until it reaches a state of ultimate freedom in which it needs no earthly vessel. There are two main schools of thought concerning reincarnation: the Hindu philosophy and the Buddhist philosophy.

Hinduism is one of the oldest and largest religions that believe in reincarnation. Hindus believe that reincarnation is a result of man’s desire for earthly pleasures. A person’s soul is reborn because he or she misses life on earth and wants to experience it again. However, after many rebirths, that person begins to realize that earthly pleasures cannot give the soul complete satisfaction, and he or she begins to seek a higher form of enlightenment. Once a person is able to realize his or her “true” divine nature (through much spiritual practice), he or she will cease to desire worldly pleasures and the cycle of reincarnation will be broken.

Buddhism also teaches about reincarnation. Buddha taught that reincarnation depends on a person’s karma – a spiritual account of all the good and bad deeds a person has done in his or her many lives. If a man’s life ends and he has accumulated too much bad karma, he is cursed to be reborn again and try to repay his karmic debt by doing good deeds. Once he has restored his karmic balance and achieved enlightenment through fulfilling his karmic debt, the cycle of rebirth ends.

Who believes in reincarnation?Most Native American tribes still believe in reincarnation; as do Inuit tribes, many African tribes and other minor religions such as Druze and Scientology. There are also religious sects of Judaism (Kabbalah), Christianity (New Age sects) and Islam (Sufiism) that believe in reincarnation as well.

A 2001 Galluppoll surveyed Americans about their beliefs in paranormal occurrences, such as reincarnation. The survey results showed that 54 percent of Americans did not believe in reincarnation, 25 percent did believe in reincarnation and 21 percent either weren’t sure or had no opinion.

How do people remember their past lives?People can be affected by memories from a past life in several different ways. The first is known as resonance. A person might feel inexplicably drawn to something specific or to a certain place. He or she might have an intense interest in a certain historical event. For example, an avid Civil War enthusiast might have started this hobby because he or she felt a powerful emotional connection to that time period.

Sometimes memories of a past life come to people in dreams. The dreams can be a vivid reenacting of specific events in a past life or the dreams can be hazy and vague, recalling only a physical setting or emotions. In addition, people sometimes develop irrational fears based on the way they died in a past life. For example, a child who is petrified of water from an early age may have drowned in a past life.

Certain people can recall specific memories of a past life when they are awake. For some people, memories appear spontaneously on their own. This occurrence is known as “spontaneous recall.” During spontaneous recall, memory floats to the surface of a person’s mind like a daydream, but the experience is often more emotional and intense.

A person can also be induced into remembering his or her past lives – an act known as “triggered recall.” In some cases, this occurs when an object, smell, noise or particular word or phrase triggers a repressed memory (similar to dèjà vu). Triggered recall also can be induced by hypnosis or deep meditation.

Is there any proof of reincarnation?There is no hard, scientific evidence proving that reincarnation exists as an actual phenomenon. However, there are many documented cases of people who claim to be able to remember parts of their past lives. Historic figures, such as Henry Ford and General George S. Patton, claimed to remember a past life. Some of the most famous documented cases of reincarnation come from Hollywood actor Glenn Ford and Welsh housewife Jane Evans.

Under hypnosis, Glenn Ford was able to recall five past lives – one as a French cavalryman who served under Louis XIV. Although Ford claimed he knew only a few basic French phrases, while under hypnosis he was able to speak fluent French while describing his life as the cavalryman. His sessions were recorded and sent to the University of California, Los Angelesfor analysis. It turned out that, not only was he speaking perfect French, but he was also using a 17th century Parisian dialect!

The second astonishing case involves Welsh housewife named Jane Evans. Evans recalled seven different past lives under hypnosis, one of which was a Jewish woman living in York, England during the 10th century. Evans described how she and other Jews were forced to wear badges to identify themselves. She said that she hid with her children in the crypt of a local church, but an angry mob found and killed her along with the other Jews.

Initially, Evans’ story was reviewed by an esteemed professor at York University who was an expert in Jewish history. He said that many of her descriptions of daily life were impressively accurate. However, he found two main holes in her story: First, the Church did not require Jews in Christian countries to wear badges of identification until the 13th century. The second discrepancy was that the church that Evans described was undoubtedly St. Mary’s Castlegate, but that church did not have a crypt.

After further investigation, however, it was discovered that many towns in England forced Jews to wear identification long before the 13th century decree from the Church. In addition, when St. Mary’s Castlegate underwent renovations some months later, a construction crew discovered a sealed room below the floor that seemed to be some sort of crypt.

Dr. Ian Stevenson has devoted much of his life to studying evidence of reincarnation. His two books (Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation and Reincarnation and Biology) describe his scientific research into this phenomenon. Dr. Stevenson has studied more than 3,000 cases involving young children who are able to spontaneously describe information about their past lives as soon as they are able to speak.

Most of the children Dr. Stevenson interviews are between the ages of 2 and 4 when they can recall past events. These children are able to speak with clarity and emotion about their lives and, in many cases, the events that lead to their death. Some can even pass identity tests set by the deceased’s family members. In most cases, however, once they grow past the age of 4, their memories gradually begin to disappear.

How can I learn if I have any past lives?If you believe you might have a past life or lives, one of the best ways to find out is to visit a hypnotherapist who specializes in past life regression. Just be aware that some people are easier to hypnotize than others, and it may take many costly sessions before you reach any kind of breakthrough.

You can also try self-induced hypnosis through intense meditation. However, it may take years before you are able to reach the deep trance-like state that makes regression possible.

For a bit of fun (and immediate results), you can go to ReincarnationStation.com to find out what kind of animal you will be in your next life by answering a few simple questions.

Spiritual karma, reincarnation and the quest for enlightenment are more than just the principles of a few ancient religions. They are ideas that help enforce the fundamental laws of society. Do good deeds and get rewarded; do bad deeds and suffer the consequences in your next life. What makes these mystical theories so fascinating is the many documented cases of reincarnation described by people all over the world and from all walks of life. Does reincarnation really occur? We may never know the answer. Like so many aspects of faith, this is something you must decide for yourself.

How Superstitious Are You?Do you take great care with mirror glass? Would you never even dream of walking under a ladder? Well, aside from seeming eccentric in your avoidance of some pretty harmless things, you're also probably very superstitious. Though some people take certain age old beliefs as seriously as they do the law, there are varying degrees of superstition. Take this quiz to find out where you fall on the superstitious scale. And if it makes you feel better, you can rub your good luck charm before we begin.